Chicago police for years compiled profiles on everyone who spoke at public meetings of the city's police disciplinary panel.
The Chicago Tribune reports the profiles of activists, police union officials and even relatives of an innocent woman killed in a high-profile police shooting were compiled in a process that included running criminal background checks and internet searches.
According to the Tribune, documents show the police department gathered details on about 60 people in advance of their speaking at monthly meetings of the Chicago Police Board since at least January 2018. The newspaper cites a police spokesman in reporting the background checks go back to at least 2013.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she had been unaware of the practice when she chaired the Police Board. She told the Tribune that she has ordered an immediate stop to the practice.
Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson says the practice has ended.
